In a vacuum, Jeff McNeil’s injury is “a minor hiccup,” as the second baseman put it -- an unfortunate case of a right oblique strain with two weeks to go until Opening Day. It should not sideline McNeil past mid-April.

Second baseman Jeff McNeil suffered a low-grade strain of his right oblique this week, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Thursday. The Mets expect him to miss three or four weeks — which, since the season begins in two weeks, means he likely will sit out for the first couple of series at least.

With injuries for the New York Mets starting to add up, including a lengthy injury to Francisco Alvarez and a tweaked oblique for Jeff McNeil which will force him to miss the season opener, manager Carlos Mendoza has been forced to make some unorthodox roster decisions.